Description

The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums are pleased to announce that the 43rd Annual Heritage Day will be held on July 4th on the Museum’s beautiful three-acre campus, with live programming from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. celebrating our region’s rich heritage and bright future. Heritage Day visitors will enjoy a day of games, historical demonstrations, special exhibits, live music, and tasty concessions — including gourmet ice cream. Guided Mine Tours and Train Rides are available all day via paid registration; advance reservations suggested. 

Scheduled activities include the Edward Jones Firecracker 5k run-walk event at 9 a.m. (Kids’ Dash at 8:30 am), a live reading of the Declaration of Independence at 12 p.m., and live music by The Wundo Band from 12-4 p.m. Visitors can enjoy free Museum admission and a variety of free programming all day, including cricket demonstrations and pick-up games with American cricket historian and specialist Tom Melville; practical demonstrations of hit-and-miss engines, pedal-powered woodworking, fiber crafts, mechanical music boxes and other novel instruments; 19th-century games like hoops, stilts, and sack races; and self-guided tours of indoor galleries showcasing many new objects on display.

 The Platteville Music Boosters will offer food and beverages for purchase. Custom ice cream flavors by Pioneer Sweets will be available in the Museum Store. The Museum will offer Dig It Kits for purchase with a free optional Mini-Mill Treasure Table activity where visitors try their hand at “cobbing jack,” sifting and winnowing, and washing ore to bring home a bounty of minerals inside each kit. 

The Museum is located on Main Street in Platteville, Wisconsin, in the heart of the historic Upper Mississippi Valley lead-zinc mining region. Founded in 1965, the museum campus includes scenic greenspace, the underground 1845 Bevans Mine, and a 1930s-era narrow-gauge mine railroad pulled by a 1931 Whitcomb locomotive. The mission of the Museum is to continue in the pursuit of excellence in the areas of regional and mining history. To achieve that purpose, the Museum is commissioned to be custodians of the past; to interpret the rich lead and zinc mining heritage of the region, as well as to preserve, interpret, and display the artifacts that define Southwest Wisconsin. 

The Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday (closed Monday and Tuesday) from May to October, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cultural programs, special events, and virtual tours are offered year-round. Follow The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. To reserve your Guided Mine Tour and for more information on current and upcoming programs visit www.mining.jamison.museum, call (608) 348-3301 or email museums@platteville.org.